Jack Link’s helps school

Company gives funds to L-M literacy program

April 29, 2013

LAURENS- While Jack Link's Beef Jerky is known for its award-winning "Messin' With Sasquatch" advertising campaign, the company is doing anything but messing around when it comes to giving back to the community.

Local representatives from Jack Link's presented a $10,000 check to the Laurens-Marathon Community School District Thursday during Laurens-Marathon's junior high track meet in Laurens.

According to Superintendent Iner Joelson, the donation will help to enrich Laurens-Marathon students' scholastic experience by bolstering the district's literacy program.

"Over the years, the generous support of Jack Link's has enabled the teachers of Laurens-Marathon to raise student achievement scores in reading by increasing our students' eyes on text," said Joelson. "We can never have enough reading materials for our students. The district has purchased a wide variety of informative and engaging books with funds from the company's ongoing donations."

Joelson also notes the funds donated by Jack Link's have been instrumental in helping to expand curriculum throughout the entire school district - from kindergarten students all the way up to high school seniors.

"In addition to adding to our current curriculum, we are looking at purchasing new materials that will contribute to the growth of our social studies and elementary reading programs," said Joelson. "Ultimately, our relationship with Jack Link's provides us with great opportunities to help our students receive a first-rate education."

Each year, Jack Link's hosts a golf tournament in which vendors, customers, local supporters and Jack Link's employees come together to raise funds in support of education. The 2012 tournament, held this past August, raised funds for the donation to the Laurens-Marathon Community School District as well as donations to school districts in five other communities in which Jack Link's has facilities, including Minong and New Glarus, Wis.; Alpena, S.D.; Mankato, Minn.; and Underwood.

This latest contribution from Jack Link's builds upon the Wisconsin-based company's long-standing tradition of corporate philanthropy. Over the past decade, the brand's charity golf tournament has raised nearly $800,000 in support of education.

"Supporting the communities where our employees live, work and raise their families is very important to Jack Link's," said Jack Link, chief executive officer of Jack Link's Beef Jerky. "We're proud of our long history of giving back to local school districts, and we're very excited to extend this commitment to the residents and school district of Laurens-Marathon again this year."